Should one consider hiding a smoking habit from a life insurance company?

Question

Our family is shopping for life insurance. My husband smokes 1-2 cigarettes a day and wants to quit, thus he thinks this "light" smoking should not be mentioned to the insurance company to keep premiums low. I am, however, concerned that in the future a claim may be denied if the company finds out, so it is better to pay up and be safe. Has anybody had issues like that? How can I convince him?

Answer 1

Well, that's kinda dumb to not mention it, as they're going to TEST for it, and it's going to come up positive. Denying tobacco use isn't going to do anything except annoy your agent (after all, he's trying to work for you, and you're lying to him!) and get you declined.

If you're buying a very small policy, like $10,000, where they won't test, then yes, the company can deny a claim based on fraud - which is what he's doing.

Next time he complains about insurance rates, remind him that the high fraud rates (and attempts) help contribute to high rates - and HE advocates fraud.

Answer 2

The best approach is to be truthful. Don't be dishonest about your smoking habit just because you're afraid the insurance company will deny your application or charge you more for insurance. Because a life insurance policy is a type of legal contract, lying on your application for insurance is essentially fraudulent (not to mention unethical). What's more, it could come back to haunt you.

While some companies might never learn of your deceit, others might. Keep in mind that the application you fill out is not the only source of data an insurance company may use to evaluate your risk potential. Most companies will require you to submit to a physical exam, the results of which may indicate that you smoke. Some may conduct in-depth investigations into your background/medical history. Others may request additional information from the Medical Information Bureau (MIB), which maintains centralized medical files on individuals who have applied for life insurance with member companies.

The point is, if you lie about your smoking, insurance companies have ways of uncovering your falsehood and will almost certainly reject your application if they find out you've lied. In addition, if a company sells you a life insurance policy and then finds out that you lied about your smoking, they may be able to terminate your life insurance coverage immediately (leaving your beneficiaries without protection). The reason: most life insurance policies are subject to a contestability period (generally, the first two years that the policy is in force) during which the company has the right to cancel the contract based on any false statements you made on your application. For example, if you died from emphysema due to smoking a year after you bought life insurance and told the insurance company you don't smoke, your beneficiaries might not be entitled to the policy death benefit.

Answer 3

Normally I would say tell the truth but if he honestly only smokes 1-2 cigarettes a day and has never smoked more than that on a regular basis I would think your chances of getting an illness from smoking are pretty slim and I would have to seriously consider the cost differences in the smokers policy and the non smokers policy.
If his smoking increases he would need to notify the insurance company right away and change policies.
Now if you were looking for a home owners policy I would say tell the truth because it only takes 1 cigarette to burn your house down.

Answer 4

Disclose the tobacco use. You will be able to sleep at night, although the premiums will be higher. Tobacco stays in your system for almost a month I believe, so hiding it would be difficult anyway. Once he has quit for a year (if that happens) have him reapply as a non-smoker.

You can get competitive life insurance quotes (even with tobacco use) from different agents in your area by filling out a quote form at http://www.myinsurancequotes.net. Ask them which companies go the lightest on occasional smokers. My experience is that Prudential is pretty lenient on tobacco use.

Make sure you are getting the best deal because prices vary alot from company to company.

Jared Balis
http://www.utahinsurance.org

Answer 5

Always tell the truth when applying for life insurance.

Your rates are based on your truthful answers to the application form for your coverage.

When you lie, you are misrepresenting your risk to the insurance company. This is a form of fraud.

The life insurance policy comes with an "Incontestable Clause" that usually lasts for two years. Meaning the insurance company has at least two years after you buy the policy to contest any claim if you die and you lied on the application.

Also, depending on the amount of coverage, you will have to take a physical and blood test that should verify whether you have nicotine in your system.

The bottom-line is this - don't lie on the application. You can go back a year or two after your husband stops smoking and ask for the insurance company to consider re-rating his policy based on non-smoking.

Make sure to consider several smoker term life insurance quotes from several insurers to find the best rate. You can compare free quotes at https://www.efinancial.com/smartquoteefc.aspx?source=389-707 You fill out one form and they give you up to 12 instant quotes from top-rated insurers.

I hope that helps! Best of luck to you.

Answer 6

You husband suffers a heart attack and dies in the ER. He;s only 40 years old.(((This never happens to anybody, does it??))
The dr wants an autoposy , and so do you.
They find traces of tobacco on him.
So, instead of collecting the $ 50,000.00 from the life ins co,you need to pay off the house and the funeral expenses, the claim is denied because of "erroneus information on the application, and all you get is the refund of a couple hundred dollars in premium. You can't handle the house payments and now face foreclosure.
If this doesn't convince him, then he's a complete idiot.
-
Good luck.

Answer 7

Absolutely be truthful with them. If you are not and a condition develops which may cause death they can say a pre-existing condition (the smoking) contributed to it and you would get NOTHING....probably wouldn't get your premiums back either. Remember, smoking can contribute to almost every facet of the human body so do not be foolish and refuse to give the information. No insurance company...Life or Health...will cover a pre-existing condition that was not revealed when a policy was taken out. The truth always wins out. Good luck.

Answer 8

Tell the truth. In Canada, where I live, you are not considered a non smoker unless you have quit for 5 years. After your husband has quit for that period of time he may be able to change his policy to that of a non smoker and possibly have his premiums lowered.
If you lie and something should happen your policy would be null and void if they found out. It is not worth the gamble.

Answer 9

Be truthful. If he wants non-smoker rates, he can try the nicotine patch or gum instead. There are a very small number of companies that will consider this non-smoker.

For more information on why he would want to tell the truth, here is an article I wrote: http://www.councilfinancial.com/tobacco-truth.html

Answer 10

Be honest. The insurance company we went with actually took a swab from the inside of our cheeks